In a CNN interview, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy warns that Russian troops are "free to enter Donetsk".
KIEV – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that if the Russian army captures the fiercely contested city of Bakhmut, there will be “free rein” for further Russian conquests in eastern Ukraine.
"We are aware that they could go further after Bakhmut," Zelenskyy said in an interview with the US television channel CNN.
The Russian troops would then have "free rein to other Ukrainian cities, in the direction of Donetsk".
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Volodymyr Zelenskyj in conversation with CNN journalist Wolf Blitzer
© Screenshot: CNN Online
In the CNN interview with popular TV host Wolf Blitzer, scheduled to air on Wednesday (March 8), Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces were determined to hold Bakhmut.
"Everyone says we have to stay strong in Bakhmut," said Zelenskyy, referring to a meeting with the Ukrainian chief of staff and other army leaders.
Of course, Kiev should also think about the lives of its soldiers, said Zelenskyy.
"But while we wait for weapons and supplies and the army prepares for the counteroffensive, we must do everything in our power."
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Meanwhile, Moscow with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin is sticking to the conquest of Bakhmut.
On Tuesday, Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu described a capture of the eastern Ukrainian city as crucial for the continuation of the Russian offensive.
At a televised meeting with officials in his ministry, Shoigu said taking control of Bakhmut would "enable new offensive in-depth operations against the defense of Ukraine's armed forces."
Bachmut has been hotly contested since last summer.
In the meantime, the city has been surrounded on three sides by Russian troops during the Ukraine war.
In view of the bitter fighting that has been going on for months, the city now has a high symbolic importance.
According to Ukrainian information, less than 4,000 civilians are still holding out in Bakhmut, while the city had 70,000 inhabitants before the start of the Ukraine war.
(AFP/frs)
Rubric list image: © Screenshot: CNN Online